DNRC spends Saturday completing helicopter training
<p>DNRC flight crew member Jessica Fuqua rides as an extra pair of eyes during a training flight over the Clark Fork River Valley.</p>
SANDERS COUNTY - Saturday morning, members of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) conducted helicopter awareness training throughout the morning.
During a wildfire, a helicopter equipped with a bucket that can pick up over 100 gallons of water can be called in from Kalispell, and help provide service to those on the ground fighting the fire. The helicopter can also act as a transport, delivery system, spotter and in urgent emergencies, as a medical transport.
The helicopter was a UH-1 Huey that was upgraded with Cobra gunship internals to be capable of working with heavier loads.
To start off the morning, the flight crew went over safety precautions; where to stand, what to use as handholds and what not to use, major working parts, do’s and dont’s and communication methods, such as mirror signaling, codes and directional methods.
Once the formalities of safety protocols had been reviewed, the DNRC practiced calling in water drops over an open field near the DNRC headquarters outside of Plains. People practiced mirror signaling to the pilot, different radio calls, and neon flagging to call in exact points for the pilot to drop water.
After the practice water drops, the helicopter was refueled. The pilot can work for eight hours, with refueling, before he is required to call it a day.
Two DNRC teams were created, five people and then six, divided up by weight, and family members were separated as a necessary precaution in case of a crash, so that an entire family wouldn’t be lost. Helmets, boots, cargo pants and shirts, and no loose articles were required to fly. After the refueling and a bit more discussion of safety protocol, the first group of six boarded the aircraft. For approximately half an hour the pilot and a crew member took the DNRC members on a ride up to 8,000 feet, viewing the tops of the mountains along the Clark Fork River Valley.
Once the first team exited the helicopter the second team boarded and strapped in, doors open the whole time. Mountaintop lakes, ravines, thick forest, and rockslides could all be viewed from above. In the far off distance, the Mission Mountains could be seen, still topped with snow.
When the helicopter landed with the last team, everyone filled into the DNRC headquarters for a debriefing. Questions were answered and it was emphasized that above all, communication is key to having the helicopter help on a fire. Certificates were passed out, hands shook, and by 1:00pm everyone left for the day.